Hello All. J had a good night. When I saw him this morning he was resting peacefully. He had a bath and a shave (the nurse said he didn't like the shave much) and he looked good. Today is surgery at 11:00. This is a pretty complicated break and we expect it to take around 4 hours total. They will likely call and give us updates through the surgery. We will pass them on as we get them.
So many people want to know how the boys are doing. They, of course are worried about their dad, but they are doing well. Mom and Dad are keeping them in Fayetteville. We are doing our best to maintain a normal schedule. Allen starts football practice today and Sam goes to camp on Wednesday. This will be a busy week as Allen also has High School orientation on Wednesday. J's sister Eleanor will be going to Allen's high school transition meeting with him on Wednesday as well.
I won't ever be able to express how thankful we are that we have such wonderful friends and family. What a blessing!
Love,
Cara
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sunday evening in Tulsa
It was another long day of waiting and healing and preparing for surgery as expected. Everything is still scheduled for Monday. We don’t know the actual time for surgery. Hopefully Cara will be able to make posts to the blog from the waiting area as she hears from the circulating nurse.
One of the developments for Sunday was the introduction of the Continuous Passive Movement (CPM) therapy for J’s right leg. It flexes his knee and hip and for two hours at a time. They applied this therapy twice on Sunday. While this therapy helps with circulation and general movement of the joints following Friday’s surgery, it was obvious that J didn’t like this therapy.
After Monday’s surgery, J’s next goal should be to come off the ventilation tube again. Maybe the ability to speak, eat and drink will make it easier to bear all the other treatments he has to face.
Surgery for the hand still hasn’t been discussed as far as schedule. J’s mom did talk to the anesthesiologist about the possibility of an anesthetic block for the hand. The block seemed to be a viable option.
Cara and J’s mom stressed J’s ability to communicate, even with the ventilation tube, by nodding yes or no. He is able to indicate when he needs to rest and when he wants them to remain in the room. Even this limited communication is very reassuring after those moments of confusion on Friday.
Even in Tulsa, the doctors are commenting on how lucky J is to be alive. They have stated that most people with the aorta injury don’t make it to the hospital.
Continued thanks for your prayers and support. After Friday’s surgery lasting four hours, Cara and J’s mom were expecting that again on Monday. They’ve been told it might only be two hours on Monday. We’ll all be waiting and praying together.
One of the developments for Sunday was the introduction of the Continuous Passive Movement (CPM) therapy for J’s right leg. It flexes his knee and hip and for two hours at a time. They applied this therapy twice on Sunday. While this therapy helps with circulation and general movement of the joints following Friday’s surgery, it was obvious that J didn’t like this therapy.
After Monday’s surgery, J’s next goal should be to come off the ventilation tube again. Maybe the ability to speak, eat and drink will make it easier to bear all the other treatments he has to face.
Surgery for the hand still hasn’t been discussed as far as schedule. J’s mom did talk to the anesthesiologist about the possibility of an anesthetic block for the hand. The block seemed to be a viable option.
Cara and J’s mom stressed J’s ability to communicate, even with the ventilation tube, by nodding yes or no. He is able to indicate when he needs to rest and when he wants them to remain in the room. Even this limited communication is very reassuring after those moments of confusion on Friday.
Even in Tulsa, the doctors are commenting on how lucky J is to be alive. They have stated that most people with the aorta injury don’t make it to the hospital.
Continued thanks for your prayers and support. After Friday’s surgery lasting four hours, Cara and J’s mom were expecting that again on Monday. They’ve been told it might only be two hours on Monday. We’ll all be waiting and praying together.
Sunday Morning in the Waiting Room
Good Morning. We are happy and thankful to report that J had a good night. We were able to spend 2 hours with him last night. He slept well and only needed additional pain medication twice. He had a bath and he looks pretty good, considering what he has been through. As we sit here, the prayer pager is beginning to vibrate across the table. It keeps us centered and focused on what is important. For those of you who don't know about our prayer pager, Jane and Jerry's church, First Methodist in Ft. Smith, has given us a pager. The pager goes off each time someone says a prayer for us. The person calls a number and enters their zip code when they want us to know they are praying for us. It is amazing and encouraging to think that the pager represents only a fraction of the prayers that are offered up. Thank you all!
We expect today to be another day of rest and healing before surgery tomorrow.
Love,
Cara
We expect today to be another day of rest and healing before surgery tomorrow.
Love,
Cara
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Day 3 at St. John's
A late afternoon call from the hospital reports that it has been a peaceful day of waiting and all positive reports for J. The ICU staff repositioned him for a while, but they were going to return him to his back.
_________________________
First report of the day is that J had a good night. Cara and J’s parents visited with the doctors this morning. His lungs are okay, his labs are okay and his stats are okay. He is still on-go for the next surgery on Monday as long as things continue to go this well.
While Cara and his parents were in the ICU room, J woke up and looked around. He can't talk because he still has the ventilator, but he does seem calmer and less panicked. He was able to nod to answer yes or no questions. He is moving his feet a little. He moves the foot on the leg that had surgery yesterday even more since it doesn't have traction now.
One of the doctors stated that he looks good for what he's been through.
It will be another day of waiting.
Cara said that today and Sunday we pray for no changes and for his lungs to remain clear so that we can look forward to Monday and the next surgery.
_________________________
First report of the day is that J had a good night. Cara and J’s parents visited with the doctors this morning. His lungs are okay, his labs are okay and his stats are okay. He is still on-go for the next surgery on Monday as long as things continue to go this well.
While Cara and his parents were in the ICU room, J woke up and looked around. He can't talk because he still has the ventilator, but he does seem calmer and less panicked. He was able to nod to answer yes or no questions. He is moving his feet a little. He moves the foot on the leg that had surgery yesterday even more since it doesn't have traction now.
One of the doctors stated that he looks good for what he's been through.
It will be another day of waiting.
Cara said that today and Sunday we pray for no changes and for his lungs to remain clear so that we can look forward to Monday and the next surgery.
Friday, August 1, 2008
9 PM in the Waiting Room
Hello all. We are feeling better tonight. The chaos seems to be gone, although we know that there is very likely more ahead. We just left J and he is very peaceful. He 's sleeping quietly and every once in a while he will move his feet around. Sheila, his nurse, said that he shook his head "no" when she asked if he was in pain. We hope a couple of days rest on the vent will help him to be stronger and help the next surgery to go smoothly.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Cara, Jane and Jerry
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Cara, Jane and Jerry
Day 2 at St. John’s
Mom, Dad and Cara were able to go back and see him around 5 p.m. He no longer has traction on the leg that just had surgery.
_____________________
A little after 3 p.m., the doctor came out and visited with Cara and J’s parents about the surgeries. The injury report has been updated to match his report.
For the knee, they removed approximately 60% that was crushed or too small to be repaired. He attached the tendon to the base of the kneecap and attached the muscle to the top of the knee. He explained that while it won’t be as strong, it will be a working knee.
Now for the femur, this was NOT the femur with the broken ball. The doctor shared x-rays and drew pictures to illustrate what had been done. A long plate was placed along the femur. Many screws were placed into the femur and some went up into the ball.
The surgeon seemed pleased overall with the two surgeries. He said that J is now scheduled for the next surgery on Monday for the second, much more complicated femur. However, the orthopedic also compared scheduling J for surgery is a lot like scheduling the shuttle for a launch. You may place the shuttle on the launch pad but there are many variables that may cause a delay.
At this time, they plan to leave J on the ventilator until after the next surgery.
The biggest concern for the next 24-48 hours will for his heart and lungs. Even with the filters in place, there is still the threat of clots breaking loose. This concern about the strength and stability of his heart and lungs is tied to the trauma of the crash and aorta repair and not related to the orthopedic surgery.
_____________________________
At 1:30 p.m., there is a call from the operating room. They have completed the repair to the right femur and are moving to the left knee. Surgery actually started at 10:55 a.m. Everything has gone well. While several approaches to repair the femur were discussed before the surgery, we won’t know how they actually made the repair until later when both surgeries are complete.
On another note, it probably be Monday before they schedule another surgery.
_____________________
Already good news again! After that scary moment yesterday, J’s stats remain strong and his surgery has been moved up to earlier than originally scheduled at 11. He may be in surgery as early as 9:30.
_____________________
A little after 3 p.m., the doctor came out and visited with Cara and J’s parents about the surgeries. The injury report has been updated to match his report.
For the knee, they removed approximately 60% that was crushed or too small to be repaired. He attached the tendon to the base of the kneecap and attached the muscle to the top of the knee. He explained that while it won’t be as strong, it will be a working knee.
Now for the femur, this was NOT the femur with the broken ball. The doctor shared x-rays and drew pictures to illustrate what had been done. A long plate was placed along the femur. Many screws were placed into the femur and some went up into the ball.
The surgeon seemed pleased overall with the two surgeries. He said that J is now scheduled for the next surgery on Monday for the second, much more complicated femur. However, the orthopedic also compared scheduling J for surgery is a lot like scheduling the shuttle for a launch. You may place the shuttle on the launch pad but there are many variables that may cause a delay.
At this time, they plan to leave J on the ventilator until after the next surgery.
The biggest concern for the next 24-48 hours will for his heart and lungs. Even with the filters in place, there is still the threat of clots breaking loose. This concern about the strength and stability of his heart and lungs is tied to the trauma of the crash and aorta repair and not related to the orthopedic surgery.
_____________________________
At 1:30 p.m., there is a call from the operating room. They have completed the repair to the right femur and are moving to the left knee. Surgery actually started at 10:55 a.m. Everything has gone well. While several approaches to repair the femur were discussed before the surgery, we won’t know how they actually made the repair until later when both surgeries are complete.
On another note, it probably be Monday before they schedule another surgery.
_____________________
Already good news again! After that scary moment yesterday, J’s stats remain strong and his surgery has been moved up to earlier than originally scheduled at 11. He may be in surgery as early as 9:30.
From the NTSICU Waiting Room
Good Morning everyone. First, I want to say how much it means to us that you are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. It helps so much to know how many people love J.
He had a good night in that his stats look good and they are planning on surgery this morning at around 11. He is, however, anxious and continues to fight the restraints. They are keeping him very sedated. This is a good thing at this point, although I'm beginning to miss him and can't wait to be able to talk to him again. Hopefully this will be soon.
Today's surgeries are the first in a series to repair the fractures to his femurs and patella. I believe that they will work on the patella and the right leg today. I have not spoken to the surgeon, so I'm not sure about what they will do specifically. We will update again after the surgery.
Keep those positive thoughts and those prayers coming. We can feel the love.
Love,
Cara
He had a good night in that his stats look good and they are planning on surgery this morning at around 11. He is, however, anxious and continues to fight the restraints. They are keeping him very sedated. This is a good thing at this point, although I'm beginning to miss him and can't wait to be able to talk to him again. Hopefully this will be soon.
Today's surgeries are the first in a series to repair the fractures to his femurs and patella. I believe that they will work on the patella and the right leg today. I have not spoken to the surgeon, so I'm not sure about what they will do specifically. We will update again after the surgery.
Keep those positive thoughts and those prayers coming. We can feel the love.
Love,
Cara
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